Tidy home, tidy mind

Are you watching the latest hit Netflix series? I’m not talking Scandi thriller or US mega series but a diminutive Japanese woman explaining how to sort out your socks drawer (and the rest) in Tidying up with Marie Kondo.

Of course, there’s so much more to the de-cluttering guru’s KonMari philosophy than having a tidier home. The idea is if that you put your home in order, you can help put your daily life (and even your past) in order too.

Living in a cluttered environment can create stress and anxiety and be quite overwhelming. Start to organise your surroundings and you can begin to reset your life and take back control.

KonMari isn’t about throwing everything away or living in a minimalist white box. It’s about making mindful decisions about what you want to keep; things that make you happy (things that you love or that ‘spark joy’), are functional and useful to your life today. It will make your home work for you and allow you to really appreciate and cherish your belongings.

The key is to hold each item in your home and ask yourself – does it spark joy? Does it make you feel happy? If it does, keep it; if not, discard it with gratitude.

THE BENEFITS

Without being surrounded by distractions (the clutter and mountains of things to do), you free yourself up to do the things you really want, boosting your creativity and productivity.

You’ll learn a lot about yourself when you’re de-cluttering, which can enhance your self confidence and self-esteem. You’ll learn to trust yourself and your decisions.

With more space and less clutter around you, you’ll enjoy your environment and feel more relaxed, sleep better and have more energy.

Saying goodbye to items with negative memories can help you let go of the past and move on. You can become the person you’ve always wanted to be.

By being mindful of how you consume you can help reduce your environmental impact.

And no more embarrassment when guests turn up unexpectedly and the place is a tip (because it’ll be all nice and tidy, won’t it?).

HAVE A GO

Commit to tidying in one go (or in a short space of time), only keeping those items that you love or serve your life today.

Imagine your ideal lifestyle, it will help you visualise where you want to be. Ask yourself if you see this item in your ideal life.

Tidy by type of item, not room, which allows time for reflection. Start with clothes, then books, papers, miscellaneous (everything else) and then sentimental items (the trickiest).

Finish discarding before you organise the items you’re keeping, you’ll be amazed at the space that you will save.

When you do store, store vertically rather than in piles, so you can see what you’ve got at a glance and making it simple for you to use them and then put away again.

If it all sounds too much to tackle on your own, Jenny’s on hand to help out – she loves nothing more than a good tidy. Spark Serenity covers the South West including Bath and Bristol. She can help de-clutter your home or any particular area you’re struggling with – like your kitchen, wardrobe, your office – or if you just need some help managing life, such as scheduling, paperwork and financial management.

Hi Kim, thank you for taking the time to read the article and respond! That’s so great, how did you feel once you’d let go of all of the bits?

There are so many things we hold on to for sentimental reasons! The KonMari method leaves sentimental items to the end, as they are the most difficult and emotional to deal with. When you get to that stage you will have dealt with all other belongings in your home, you will understand yourself so much better and what ‘sparks joy’ for you and you will be better able to address those difficult items. You will understand the emotions attached to them and how these items actually make you feel. It is such a life changing process, you will feel unbelievably good (and free!) once you’ve put your home in order.

Get in touch if you would like any advice at all, would love to hear how you get on! xx